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ICT for Development Community meets in Geneva

The FCT and the Ministry of Science and Technology participated in the 2016 edition of WSIS - World Summit on Information Societytaking place until May 6th in Geneva, Switzerland. This global platform annually brings together stakeholders - governments, private sector, technical and academic communities, civil society and international organizations - to share best practices and discuss policies related to information and communication technologies, digital economy and society. On the agenda is the discussion for the implementation of the lines of action of the UN World Summit for the Information Society, for the sustainable development of nations.

The position of Portugal in the international context of the Information Society was presented by the Minister of Science, Technology, and Higher Education, Manuel Heitor, during the high-level policy session, held on May 3rd, dedicated to the themes of Knowledge Societies, Capacity Building and Digital Learning.

The Minister reaffirmed that Portugal is committed to strengthening investment in science, to investing in training and developing the digital skills of its human capital, and to strengthening international academic cooperation.

mheitor

In addition to the High Level Policy Sessions, the Agenda included a number of thematic workshops that focused on digital skills and competencies, child protection online, gender equality, local innovation, ICT and sustainable development, Internet fragmentation and security, among others.

The organization of the World Information Society Forum 2016 (WSIS 2016) is the responsibility of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP).

Image credits: ©ITU/I.Wood